Harding's Hopkins: 'We ride with (coach Santiago)'

Updated 12:41 am, Wednesday, September 3, 2014

STAMFORD -- Harding football coach Eddie Santiago didn't try sugarcoating a 2013 season that started with change but ended with a familiar thud.

"Last year when I took it over, everything was in disarray," Santiago said Tuesday from the FCIAC media night at Zody's 19th Hole. "It was a major debacle. We had a young team."

Youth wasn't the only problem. The Presidents lacked stability.

The hire of Jack Cochran generated headlines and a couple of wins, but nothing more. In fact, the move flat-out backfired.

Cochran -- with a resume packed with state titles at Bloomfield, New Britain and New London but a whole lot of baggage -- missed the Presidents' Week 4 loss to Ludlowe with a "minor health problem." He didn't coach another game, leaving Santiago as his replacement on an interim basis.

The Presidents lost eight of their last nine after a 2-0 start, but Santiago saw reason for hope.

"It's a great group of young men I have. They bought in right after the Thanksgiving game," said Santiago, referring to a 28-20 loss to Central. "They went right to work.

"They do a lot of community outings together. ... They've been together the last nine months, just sticking together."

Along with the community service, from food drives to contributions in neighboring churches, Santiago encouraged players to hit the weight room. Most, if not everyone, bought in to their new head coach's message after a turbulent year.

"It shows that (the coaches) are loyal to us and they want to help us get better," said senior Christian Hopkins, who is shifting from quarterback to H-back this season. "They want to be around for us, not just records and their win-and-loss column.

"They want to help us better our lives."

The message has spread, with 55 players attending camp. The team's seen immediate returns, too, as 10 medals were earned at a weightlifting competition last month in New London.

"I was going to do it my way," Santiago said. "We changed the logo, we changed the uniforms, we changed the whole cultural atmosphere.

"What we bank on is our hard work. That's all we count on; nothing else."

The Presidents can count on stability, too.

"Coach Santiago, he's been with us through it all," said junior Xavier Bass, who will see time at wide receiver and defensive end. "He's always made sure, even when he wasn't the head coach, that things run smooth.

"We knew what we had to do."

Santiago, a defensive guru, brought aboard former Monroe youth coach Steve Christy over the offseason as offensive coordinator. The team's also excited about their new starter at quarterback, freshman Tyson Phommachanh.

"He inquired about me, we did some X's and O's," Santiago said of Christy. "He knew what he was doing. I was sold."

The Presidents are just 12-99 over the past 11 years, but they've discarded those memories. Instead, Santiago said, "It's all about the first game." That opportunity arrives Sept. 10 at Law in the SCC-FCIAC Challenge.

There's no guarantee the results will be different in 2014, but the attitude certainly will be.

"There's no playing around no more," Hopkins said. "There's no tolerance for absences or excuses. We stick by that; we ride with (Santiago). That's how we go.